Improvement in bolt-works for safe-doors



2 Sheetsr-Sheet 1..

W. B. AVERY.

Bolt-Works for Safe-Dnos.

Nnor.l52,8l9. Pantedluly 7,1874;

III III W u. 'QJ D 'THE GRAPHIC C0. PHOTD-LITHSBn 4l PARK PLACE, N Y.

' 2Sheets--Sheet2. W. B. AVERY. BoIt-Works'fur Safe-Doors.

N0.l52,8]9. Patentedluly 1,1874.

UNITED STATE-s PATENT oEEIcE.

WILLIAM E. AVERY, OE CANTON, OHIO.

IMPROVEMENT IN BOLT-WORKS FOR SAFIDOGRS.

specication forming pm of Leners Patent No. 152,819, dated July 7,1874; applicant tien June 25, 1874. f

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM BARNARD AVERY, of Canton, in the countyof Stark and State of Ohio, have made an invention 'of certain p' new and useful Improvements in the Bolt Mechanism of Burglar-Proof Safes 5 and that the following is a full, clear, and exact description and specification of the same.

In safes an d vaults, as ordinarily constructed,

there is more or less play between the bolts and the Striking-plates in which they engage, and also between the door and the door-frame 5 and advantage is taken of this by burglars to insert wedges in the crevice between the door and the door-frame, either for the purpose of wedging open the doo`r or for the purpose of making the crevice wide enough to permit the insertion ot gunpowder, or other explosive material, by means 'of which the door may be blown open. n The main object of my invention is to prevent the opening of safe-doors by the above- Y mentioned systems; and my invention is based upon the principle` that if the door be shut so tightly that it is practically impossible to apply wedges of the strength required for breaking open the door, or to open the crevice between it and the door-frame, these modes of opening sate-doors become unavailable for the purpose. To this end my invention consists of certain combinations ofthe door, the doorbolts, and the bolt mechanism, which are specified in detail at the closeof this speciiication, and which operate in such manner that the door, after being bolted, is drawn bodily into the door-frame, so as to take up the play of the bolts, and to close the crevice nsually existing around the edges of the door.V

In order that the invention may be fully understood, I have represented in the accompanying drawing, and will proceed to describe, a sate-door and bolt mechanism embodying my invention in the best form known to me at this date.

In the said drawing, Figure l represents the inner side of a safe-door .with the coverin g-plate removed, and with the bolts drawn.

Fig. l* represents part of the lock mechanism when the bolts are shot. Fig. 2 represents a view of one of the longer edges` of said door. Flg. 3 represents a transverse section of the door at the line x a" of Fig. l.k Fig. V4L represe'nts a transverse section `of the door lat the line y 'y of Fig. l. y Fig. 5 represents a fragment of the door, showing the end of 'one of the door-bolts when drawn, and showing also, in dotted lines, the end of the bolt when fully locked. l l Y y The door A of the safevor vault maybe constructed' in any desired manner that will Vinipart the requisite strength. The bolt mecha-n ism is applied to its inner` side. In the present example six bolts,`B B B1B1 B2 B2, are employed; but the number may be increased or diminished, as found expedient. Each of these bolts consists of a round bar of iron, fitted to both slide endwise and turn on its axis, its .outer end being fitted in a hole orbearing in 'thelan ge c of the door, and its inner end being fitted in a socket in a guide-bar or inner bearing, d. The outer end c of each bolt is eccentric to the holes or bearings in which the bolt `slides and turns, so that, when this end of the bolt is engaged in a hole in the door-jarnb or striking-plate, the turning of the bolt in its bearingscauSes it to move Athe door outward or inward relatively to the interior of the safe. In order that the bolts may be `moved longitudi nally each is iitted with a collar, e, which connects it with Oneoi` the bars F Fl F2 F2. Where there are two or more bolts at the same edge of the door allof them may beconneeted with the same bar, as thetwo bolts B B are with the bar F of Fig. l. `One of these bars, F, is moved transversely of its length by means of a rack, j', (see Fig. 132) and a locking-pinion,

fm, operated by a spindle, the rack being connected with the bar F, and the pinion being, in this instance, fitted to turn upon a stud projecting from the door. The other bars, F1 F2 F2, are caused to move in concerti/Vith the iirst, F, and transversely of their respective lengths, by connecting them withthe lirst by means of the levers G and links H I, sothat when one bolt is shot outward, or is drawn inward, all the others are moved simultaneously in the same manner. In Order that the bolts may be turned on theiraxes, the collars e of four of them are formed into pinionsh h h h, and the teeth `of each of these boltpinions engage with one ofa series of `secon/dary racks, jj j j, secured to the corresponding bars F F2 F2, so that the movement of the bars F F2 longitudinally, moves the secondary racks and causes the bolt-pinions and bolts to turn on their axes in one direction or the other, according to the direction in which the bars are moved. The movement ofthe bars F F2 in a longitudinal direction is effected in this example by the same lockingpinion m which imparts the sliding movement to the bolts. To this end the several bars F F2 F2 are connected by means of bellcranks k 7c, so that the movement of one bar, F, longitudinally, causes the others, F2 F2, to move in the same manner; moreover, a second rack, l, is connected with the bar F at right angles with the transverse rack f, (see Fig. 1.*,)so that the locking-pinion can engage with the second or longitudinal rack after the bolts are shot in locking, and before they are drawn in unlocking. Thus, when the door is first shut to, the several parts of the boltmechanism are in the positions in which they are represented in Fig. l. If, then, the lockingpinion m be turned in the direction of the arrow in that igure it operates rst in connection with the transverserackf, and compels the bars F F1 F2 to move transversely of their length, and to move the bolts endwise outward, so as to shoot them into theirl holes in the striking plate. The transverse movement of the bar F carries the longitudinal rack ltoward the docking-pinion m, so that it is brought into gear with that pinion when the bars F F1 F2 have been moved transversely far enough to shoot the bolts to their fullest extent. Then the continued turning of the locking-pinion m in the same direction as before compels the bars Fl F2 to be moved longitudinally, and to turn the bolts on their axes through the intervention of the secondary racks jj jj and bolt-pinions h h h h. When the movement of the locking-pinion m is reversed,

y the first eect is to turn the bolts on their axes through the intervention of the longitudinal rack l, but in the reverse direction ion ei'ects the drawing of the bolts. The

bars F Fl F2, the bell-cranks, the levers, the links, the secondary racks, the bolt-pinions, and collars, thus constitute the connections between the racks f l and the bolts, and the construction and arrangement of these connections may be changed as found expedient, or they may be replaced by other mechanical devices which will transmit the required movements to the bolts. The locking-pinion m is connected by cog-wheels n nl (Fig. 1*) with a knob-spindle, s, extending through the door, so that the force for moving the bolts is applied at the outside of the door, where a knob or a lever-handle of sufficient length to give the requisite leverage may be applied. In order that the bolt mechanism may be entirely disconnected from the knob-spindle after the door is bolted, the locking-racks f l are secured to a rack-stock, J, which is con- 'nected'with the bar F by apivot,t, anda lock-bolt, r, is provided to move this rackstock upon its pivot, so as to swing the longitudinal rack l out of gear with the lockingpinion m after the safe-door is secured. The lock-bolt r is arranged to traverse in a slot, w w', of the rack-stock, and is connected with a door-lock, P, which may be of any approved construction. The bearing of the lock-bolt r against the outer side of the slot w holds the longitudinal rack in ge'ar with the locking-pinion m until that pinion engages with the transverse rack f, when the cross-slot w permits the disengagement of the longitudinal rack, and the side of the lock-bolt, bearing against one edge ofthe cross-slot, holds the Atransverse rack in gear with the locking-pinion. As the bolts B B at one side of the door are arranged in line with the corresponding bolts B B at the opposite side of the door, the former are compelled to turn with the latter by connecting their inner ends by means of a sliding clutch. In the present example this consists of a tongue, c', which projects from one bolt, B, into a longitudinal slot formed in the other, B. As the tongue and slot extend in the direction of the lengths of the bolts, the .connection of the two bolts, for the purpose of turning one by the other, does not interfere with their longitudinal movement.

The practical effect of the bolt mechanism thus described is as follows: 'When the door is first shut to, and the bolts are shot into their holes in the striking-plates by the action of the locking-pinion, the transverse rack, and its connections, the door is in the condition of the door of an ordinary safe when locked. The further turning of the knob-spindle with my bolt mechanism brin gs into operation the longitudinal rack l, the secondary racks j j, and the bolt-pinions h h, and compels the bolts to turn on their axes, the effect of which is to draw the door bodily inward, and thus jam it tightly into the door-frame and close the crevice between the two. The turning of the knob-spindle in the opposite direction first releases the door from its tight t in the doorframe, andthen draws the bolts.

In constructing a safe with my invention applied to it, the door-hinges must, of course, have play enough to permit the door to be moved bodily into the door-frame after the bolts are shot; and when eccentric bolts are employed to move the door bodily, the holes of the striking-plates, or the door-jamb in which they engage, must be oblong or oval, to permit the eccentric ends of the bolts to be turned.

The construction of bolt mechanism embodying my invention may be greatly varied, and I purpose to vary it to suit the views of users. Thus, for example, the locking-pinion may be connected directly with a knob-spindle eX- tending through the door, instead of being connected with it through the intervention of cog-wheels 5 so, also, one knob-spindle may be used for shooting` the bolts, and a second knob-spindle for drawing` the door inward after the bolts are shot. One or more screws maybe used to operate upon the bolts instead of a locking-pinion, or the locking-pinion may be turned through the intervention of a screw suitably arranged for the purpose.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination, substantially as before 1 set forth, of the door, the knob-spindle, the

bolts, and the mechanism for moving the door by means of said bolts.`

2. The combination, substantially as before set forth, of the locking-pinion, the longitudinal rack, the transverse rack, the bolts, and

Vthe connections between the said racks and the bolts, whereby the same knob-spindle may be used both for shooting the bolts and moving the door after the bolts are shot.

3. The combination, substantially as before set forth, of the locking-pinion, the longitudinal rack, the movable rack-stock, and the lock-bolts.

4. The combination, substantially as before set forth, ofthe door with the bolts arranged to slide in opposite directions, and connected by a sliding clutch, and with a single boltpinion, ,whereby both bolts may be turned simultaneously byone rack.

Witness ymy hand this 15th day of Jiuue, A. D. 1874.

WILLIAM BARNARD AVERY.

Witnesses:

JOHN T. KENNERK, R. L. ROBERTS. 

